


Safety in Secrecy

by FictionalQuacker



Series: Flames of Peace: One-shots [4]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Established Relationship, Family Drama, Fluff and Smut, Humor, M/M, No Uchiha Massacre, POV Uchiha Itachi, Porn With Plot, Porn with Feelings, Romance, Smut, Uchiha Itachi-centric
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-14
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:22:33
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,188
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28076163
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FictionalQuacker/pseuds/FictionalQuacker
Summary: Itachi spends too many nights away from home, working to keep his village and his Hokage safe and functioning. His relationship might still be a secret to most of the world but with Sasuke’s acceptance Itachi knows the time to peel back the secrecy is approaching quickly. For that reason and to quench the ache in his heart, he wants nothing more than to do what he has not for years; be with the man he loves without restraint.
Relationships: Uchiha Itachi & Uchiha Mikoto, Uchiha Itachi & Uchiha Sasuke, Uchiha Itachi/Uchiha Shisui
Series: Flames of Peace: One-shots [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2078838
Comments: 10
Kudos: 73





	1. Breaking Safety

**Author's Note:**

> This is part of my no-massacre AU and takes place pretty much in the middle of 'The Pride of the Uchiha' but this is entirely Itachi's experience of a night not included in that story. It is written to be easily understood and enjoyed on its own and it's straight up porn so... enjoy it!

How could something so mundane as waiting outside his best friend’s home feel like he was staring down the edge of a cliff?

Clansmen walking behind him must wonder what he was doing; he could feel their eyes lingering on his back. Enough people to keep the street busy, but not so many to make a crowd. Itachi counted their presences while they passed.

He wondered how many were taking notice of him loitering outside Shisui’s house. Calculating, he let them notice the strange behavior and carry the sight with them, spreading it through the compound like medicine in a sick man’s circulatory system.

His body was relaxed, his mind on high alert.

Itachi was waiting for courage. For all his competence as a shinobi he felt like a coward when staring down the face of happiness. However, fear could not control his actions, and he had something to push him forward towards the fall and the freedom that came with it.

The door opened before he had finished knocking. Shisui welcomed Itachi inside and closed the door behind him.

“How is your mother?” Itachi asked and stepped out of his shoes.

Shisui scratched the back of his head. “She’s having a rough day, but she’s out of it right now. Her new painkillers are no joke… she’s not used to them yet.”

Itachi nodded. She had been sick for over a year and had become prone to passing out during her episodes. There was nothing they could do for her beyond the dutiful care the hospital offered and the love that Shisui held for her, but anything that would ease her pain was better than nothing. It gave her and her son peace when the medications put her to sleep, even if just for a few hours at a time.

“So… tea?” Shisui asked sheepishly. Itachi blinked at him, letting his face soften to match the unguarded look of his partner.

“No thank you. I came to be with you.”

Shisui smirked, confidence coming back to him and a hand finding his hip.

“Well, come on in. Did you have anything particular in mind?”

Itachi smiled, tilting his head for a moment before moving up the stairs. A chuckle came from behind him and Shisui flickered into existence before him. He had to stop, looking up at the man leaning over him. One stair between them, Shisui’s height towered above him. Hands in his pockets, he looked quite cocky blocking Itachi’s path.

Amused, Itachi danced around him and continued up. Bare feet brushed against the floor and betrayed the playful chase in Shisui’s movements. Dashing soundlessly into his room, Itachi spun just in time to be caught with the door slamming shut behind them.

Strong arms and a warm chest welcomed him. Sinking into the loving depths that was Shisui’s embrace he remembered the cliff and the push he had received to take a leap.

“You’re in a good mood, how rare.” Shisui jested.

“Aa. There is progress.” Itachi smiled, feeling his guard lower quickly. It was safe to do so, and how queer it felt. He had a lot on his mind, but he had come for the most pleasant of current events. He explained: “We… I want to be less careful. To start leaving traces.”

Shisui took a step back, his hands resting on Itachi’s shoulders.

“Well, that’s new. How detectable are we talking?”

“I’d like my father to not be surprised when I tell him about you.”

Shisui took another step, his hands abandoning Itachi. He had never guarded his face in the way that Itachi did. While Itachi kept his intentions behind a blank mask of nothing, Shisui wore his emotions like armor, using what he was feeling to cover what he was thinking.

In this moment, he showed a near painful hopefulness.

“Does Sasuke’s support mean that much?” Shisui wondered, his dark voice trembling pleasantly. Itachi closed his eyes and bowed his head.

“Yes.”

Perhaps not to the likelihood of success in their upcoming endeavor, but his little brother’s acceptance gave Itachi the strength to believe he could go through with it… Courage.

“Heh, he really has grown up then.” 

He could feel the warmth from Shisui’s front radiate towards his back. When he spoke, it was close to Itachi’s ear. 

“Itachi… Your promise?”

“I mean it. I will not marry anyone but you.” Itachi murmured.

Shisui swallowed behind him, and Itachi felt his breath touch the back of his neck.

“We’ll go through it together. We’ve managed worse, haven’t we?”

Fingers brushed against where Shisui’s breath had touched him. It was pleasant and warm.

“Yes.” 

Shisui sighed. Those fingers took hold of his hair and lifted it away from his neck. Lips pressed against Itachi’s hairline and it was his turn to let out his breath. Shisui was close behind him.

“Damn. So, I’m about to go toe-to-toe with Fugaku-san for the future of his heir… What a terrifying concept.” Shisui chuckled. Itachi turned around to face him. He was impossibly handsome, and tall. So tall. It made Itachi’s stomach fill with fluttering little butterflies to be gazing up at a man like him.

“He has been very accepting of my refusals to arrange a marriage.” Itachi said soothingly. Shisui quirked an eyebrow as if he had said something silly.

“Sure, because you’re _you_. Me? I’m just the bastard ruining his shot at fantastic prodigy-spawned grandchildren.”

Itachi smiled then, leaning the smallest bit closer.

“It’s likely I would have ended up without children even if you had not returned my feelings.”

Shisui smirked maliciously and leaned back enough to flick a finger against Itachi’s forehead protector. “Uh-huh. If you tried again at _this_ age, it’s actually possible Kakashi-san would not run away screaming if you propositioned him.”

Itachi frowned.

“You’re not one to talk… You had more juvenile crushes than I did.”

“None of them were _nine_ years older than me.” Shisui shot back, the grin on his lips widening. Unfortunately, Itachi’s face was starting to feel quite warm and flushed.

He wondered if this was karma for picking on Sasuke.

“I admit it was embarrassing, but I paid for it.”

“Oh, yes. That rejection was damn near legendary from what we overheard.” Shisui laughed and gestured towards himself. “Though, clearly he did not scare you off older men forever.”

Itachi felt the corners of his mouth twitch.

“You’re not that old.”

“No – not as old as Kakashi-san. Sorry I can’t –“

Sick of the teasing, Itachi grabbed the back of his head and forced his fool mouth to quiet with his own. Shisui inhaled sharply through his nose, then pushed him away.

“Rude.” He gave Itachi a cocky smile and rubbed his lips between his thumb and index finger. “Let people finish talking.”

“Finish, then.” Itachi retorted, locking eyes with him.

“Now that’s just cheeky. Youth these days… No respect for your elders.”

Shisui grinned and pulled him in by the chin. A quick kiss, almost chaste, before he broke it and pulled off his shirt. _Arrogant_.

A lifetime of extreme fitness made it all too hard to ignore how strong he looked. Strength he never used against Itachi – only for him. Or _on_ him. It brought a fresh rush of blood to his skin to see it so shamelessly exposed to his eyes.

“Shut up, Shisui.” Itachi muttered, closing the distance between them and reaching for his lips again. His hands found Shisui’s abdomen – the pads on his fingers pressing against the musculature. Shisui returned his kisses now, and arms wrapped around his back. Pulling him closer, pushing his crotch against him. Itachi felt his length against his own, hard and full of vulgar intent underneath the fabric of his pants.

Itachi wrapped his own arms around Shisui then, submerged in the rising arousal that flooded him.

Hands passed under his shirt and down below his pants – gripping his behind roughly in large, strong hands. Itachi huffed and opened his mouth, poking at Shisui’s tongue to prompt him to do more. Frankly, his cock was hardening and his patience was growing short.

The hands were disobedient. One squeezed him harder, while the other did him the disservice of snaking back up his spine. Irate, Itachi brought his hands to Shisui’s jaw and bit his lip.

Shisui moved so fast he had no time to react before he was being hoisted up against his broad chest, his legs wrapped around Shisui’s waist. Pleased, Itachi let him carry him to the bed and put him on his back.

“So, how should I treat you tonight?” Shisui whispered sweetly, his lips brushing against his neck. “As my fiancé?” He placed a gentle kiss at the soft skin just behind his ear. “Or as my unraveling secret?” He pressed his forehead against Itachi’s and ground their hips together – hard dicks going rough against each other.

Itachi felt like he was melting under the large, heavy body pressing him down against the bed. Placing his hands flat against Shisui’s shoulders, he bit at his exposed throat. Shisui huffed and forced his legs further apart with his own.

Shisui bit back; at the lobe of his ear. Itachi shivered at the sensation.

Hands found their way underneath Itachi’s shirt. He lifted himself off the mattress enough to let Shisui pull it off him, savoring the feeling of skin on skin from his shoulders and all the way down his stomach. Warm, soft skin over hard muscle pressed against him and drove him further into his rude desire for the man on top of him. Lips found his and Shisui’s tongue wrestled his own, filling Itachi’s mouth with his taste.

They had learned not to make noise years ago. As much as they both craved each other’s company there was little time for physical intimacy, let alone in places where they were not at risk of getting caught. Concealing it was not particularly hard for shinobi like them… but Itachi desperately missed the sounds Shisui had made the first few times they explored each other’s bodies. Taking another brave step towards the cliff’s edge, Itachi loosened the grip on his vocal cords and moaned.

Shisui inhaled sharply and pressed harder against him in response. Sharp teeth pinched Itachi’s lower lip and threatened to draw blood.

A hand found the back of Itachi’s head, gripping at his hair and pulling it so hard his head tilted. Moaning again, Itachi bucked his hips up and quietly begged Shisui to keep being rough with him. He followed Shisui’s sides and hooked both thumbs under the brim of his pants, pulling at them to get them off. Shisui helped him, then kneeled to rip the pants off Itachi as well. When he passed his crotch, he paused and bit Itachi’s cock playfully through his briefs. Itachi tensed at the sharp touch of teeth.

Throwing the pants against the wall, Shisui gave him a confident little smile.

“Do you want to be pinned down today?” He murmured, stroking a hand along Itachi’s thigh. At first, he was inclined to say yes, but he changed his mind. Sometimes, it was important to give as much as you took.

So he shook his head, and returned the smile. Shisui tugged at his briefs and let them join their pants on the floor.

He ran his tongue over Itachi’s hip before he rolled him onto his side and settled behind him. His mouth planted kisses on his neck while fingertips played with the sensitive ring of muscle between Itachi’s legs. Growing warm and relaxed under the touch, he leaned towards his lover’s hand.

Shisui’s body suddenly disappeared and flickered into existence by the nightstand. He opened the drawer and reappeared immediately behind Itachi – putting a bottle of oil in front of him.

One arm snuck through the gap between his neck and the mattress, letting him rest on it while it wrapped around him and held him close to Shisui. The hand was on his shoulder, the upper arm pressing against his collarbone.

Shisui held out his free hand in front of Itachi, demanding oil from the bottle. Obliging, Itachi helpfully lubed the fingers in preparation. Stroking Shisui’s fingers made his own tingle. Sleek, slick and slipping out of his grasp when he tried to make them linger in his own just to savor the anticipation.

The wet fingers found his hole again, massaging it and slowly encouraging it to loosen. Enamored by the sensation, Itachi wrapped his own fingers around the arm against his collar and held on to it. The tension broke as one finger pressed past the border of skin and muscle, pressing against Itachi’s inner walls and delightfully prying him open.

Rolling his hips towards the invading limb, he groaned happily and clenched the arm in his grasp. One more finger joined the first, then they bent and sent sparks of crackling pleasure up his spine. Gasping for air, Itachi reveled in the feeling of Shisui fingerfucking him. The stretching inside him, the brushes against his prostate, the large body pressing against his back and warming him to the core made him lose track of everything.

Lost in a cloud of dopamine and serotonin, he welcomed the third finger with a mixture of mild pain and ecstasy.

In and out, he was stretched and tortured by the unbearable bliss until the hand disappeared. There was a small rustle, then the bottle of oil vanished from sight as well. Itachi could hear Shisui preparing himself. A vulgar, delightful noise behind him. Wet fingers found his hip and Shisui nuzzled the nape of his neck when he pushed himself inside.

From tip to base, Shisui buried himself inside of Itachi. Gritting his teeth as hard as he could to keep himself from screaming he threw his head back and felt Shisui’s face disappear into his hair at the back of his head. His breath was hot and humid against his scalp, and his open mouth pressed against his skull despite it making it harder to inhale the oxygen his body desperately needed to keep up the pace.

Long thrusts pulled and pushed at Itachi’s insides, overwhelming his senses with sparks and shots of intense buzzing pleasure.

Shisui’s breathing was increasingly heavier, the pitch of his throat pushing out the used air growing darker and deeper against Itachi’s head. The arm around Itachi’s collar gripped him harder and the hand on his hip was threatening to bruise. An especially rough move into his bowel made Itachi cry out and Shisui gasped behind him.

“Fuck, I… forgot how much… I like that voice…” Shisui whispered, getting some of Itachi’s hair stuck to his lips. He changed up his motions and rolled his hips more gracefully, the smoother, rounder motion making his hard shaft massage the soft walls that engulfed it and send a fresh sense of being stretched through Itachi’s body.

The hand on Itachi’s shoulder kneaded him, both as if he was being comforted and as if Shisui was desperately seeking comfort for himself. A small whine escaped Shisui’s throat and he begged into Itachi’s hair; “Please, keep making that noise… Let me hear… you… Itachi.”

Not one to deny him anything when asked so _politely_ , Itachi arched his back for him and let out a pleasured groan.

Shisui shuddered. The rolling of his hips was losing rhythm, uneven and exasperated movement driving him in and out with disappearing grace and control. Filling with heat for him – Itachi was excited and happy to enjoy the anticipating climax of his beloved.

“Yes, Shisui. Come.” He encouraged, reinforcing it with small, pleased grunts and sweet whispers for him to continue. Shisui cursed and slowed down – forcing himself to a stop.

He was out of breath, but he had not ejaculated. Bemused and disappointed, Itachi lifted his head and tried to look at him but could not quite turn enough to see his face with the arm holding him in place.

“Fucking hell. Sorry, I got completely caught up in it.” He nuzzled Itachi’s neck and the hand on his hip loosened, stroking his leg gently. “Did you even get close yet?”

Shisui took the hand off his shoulder and brushed his fingers against Itachi’s chin. Sighing, Itachi took it in his hands and brought it to his lips.

“You should not have stopped.” He muttered.

Itachi led two fingers to the slit between his lips, parting them slowly, and took them into his mouth. Against the flat of his tongue, they tasted like salt and traces of soap. Shisui took a deep, needy breath with his nose still buried in Itachi’s hair. He brought the hand on his thigh to Itachi’s cock. Hot, slick and strong fingers wrapped around it and the tough skin of Shisui’s palm pressed against the sensitive skin. The neglected limb was terribly sensitive, swollen and untouched as it was.

Trembling, Itachi sucked at Shisui’s fingers and relished the feeling of his skin pressing against his tongue.

The pleasure it brought him when Shisui moved his hand over his dick was incredible. All sensibility left him and he rolled his hips feverishly – wanting nothing more than to feel Shisui fill him up and lose his mind inside the depths of his body.

Obediently, Shisui pushed his fingers deeper into Itachi’s mouth and pumped his length with soft, silky motions.

Itachi tried to cry out from the pressure of pleasure taking over him, but the fingers in his mouth muffled and broke the noise into a long, vulgar noise that made what self-control Shisui had gathered from his forced break fall apart and he met Itachi’s rolling hips with fast, sharp motions slapping his front to Itachi’s backside loudly and efficiently. The sudden increase of the pace at which hard flesh rubbed against his prostate and forced his insides to give way for the welcome invader had Itachi seeing stars and his eyes rolled back, seeing nothing while he felt everything in one overwhelming moment.

Shisui rasped and gasped, frantically reaching for his peak with hard, uneven motions that shook Itachi and made the bed creak in protest. He cursed, filling his mouth with hair as he opened it wide.

“FUCK!”

Shisui’s hips jerked behind him and he forcefully slammed them against Itachi’s ass to drive himself as far as he would go. Shuddering, shaking, and freezing in place he came and emptied himself – still clinging onto Itachi’s cock.

Itachi relished the feeling of his partner’s climax, patiently sucking at his fingers until he pried them out himself and let out a trembling sigh against the back of his neck.

Slowly, Shisui slid out of him and brought his hands to Itachi’s body. He trailed kisses down his body and rolled him onto his back. Itachi panted, waiting impatiently.

Shisui left one last kiss on Itachi’s pubis and took his dick into his mouth. Swearing, Itachi bucked his hips as lips wrapped around it and Shisui’s warm, wet tongue moved along its length and around his tip. Arching his back, he dug his hands into his own hair and closed his eyes tight.

Panting, he reached for his voice again and groaned out the name of the man who filled his existence with pleasure and appreciation: “Shisui!”

The man himself grunted back at him, releasing his cock from the sweet grip of his mouth and coming up above him again. Hands gripped Itachi’s thighs and heaved his hips upwards, then he felt the still slick tip of Shisui’s poke at him again.

“Shisui? You already –“ Itachi gasped as he was pried open again.

Shisui’s thighs trembled between his, but he pushed and pulled at Itachi with sweet little thrusts and drew out shivers and shudders in his lover all the same.

“Come on, get some use out of me before I go soft.” Shisui ordered, and gripped Itachi’s sac, squeezing it gently.

Wave after wave of warm bliss washed over Itachi and when Shisui’s hand returned to his cock he saw bolts of lightning shoot across the back of his eyelids. Firm, fast pumps and short thrusts drove him to the cliff’s edge and his head spun as he lost himself rolling towards the fall into obliviating ecstasy. He felt his body stiffen and jerk under Shisui, and streaks of his ejaculate hit his stomach, his chest, and his jaw as it shot out of him. Coming down, he was embraced by Shisui and wrapped in his strength and warmth.

Comforting, calming kisses pressed against the side of his neck and strong hands stroked his arms reassuringly, drawing him out of the grips of lust and into the depths of love. When Shisui withdrew his hips and unsheathed his length from Itachi, he felt sore and too hot… but safe and content.

Returning his breath to full, steady inhales and exhales Itachi put his arms around his chest and pulled Shisui into a hard hug, the muscle in his arms feeling as strong as steel when he tensed them.

A chuckle escaped Shisui’s throat and he fell, resting his full weight on Itachi. Happily, he sighed.

“Not bad for an old man.” Itachi whispered into his ear.

Shisui’s laughter escalated, and he nuzzled at the base of Itachi’s neck.

“You’re sticky.”

“It was the natural result of your choice of technique.” Itachi retorted, burying his own face in Shisui’s shoulder. Shisui hummed back, then loosened their grip on each other.

He pulled Itachi to his feet and dragged him by his hand towards the bathroom.

“Come. We better wash off before this dries and we end up glued to the sheets.”

Smelling of soap and still warm from the shower, they stretched their bodies out on fresh bedsheets and enjoyed the feeling of skin touching skin. Itachi rested one hand on Shisui’s abdomen and stared up at the ceiling as he listened to the smooth breathing filling the room. The window was creaked open to let out the scent of bodies coming together, and the air of the street slipped inside in small gushes of wind from the compound surrounding their nest of cotton sheets and wood walls.

“You’re staying all night?” Shisui murmured.

Itachi looked over at him.

“Aa.”

Shisui rolled onto his side, pulling him closer and running a hand through his wet hair.

“If you come home in the morning you might not be able to blame work.”

Perfectly at ease from the inside out, Itachi replied softly with a firm “no.”

Shisui paused, looking at him curiously.

“You really meant it then… leaving traces. Do you really think we will get their blessings?”

Itachi smiled, closing his eyes towards the ceiling.

“Perhaps not, but we should ask for their acceptance. After everything we have done for this clan, this is one demand we are able to make.”

“Heh, perhaps.” Shisui took a deep breath. “Fugaku-san will still not be pleased, will he?”

Itachi opened his eyes and sat up, glancing down at his feet. A knot of nerves built in his stomach, but not tight enough to affect his resolve.

“He is not without reason… If we give him the right arguments then he will not deny me this.”

Part of him did feel a small hesitation, he had ever since he first realized he would not find the same kind of joy in the arms of a woman as he did with a man. Perhaps he would still have ended up accepting the clan’s traditions and let them pick a wife for him – even if it was purely for practical reasons. The idea was not entirely off-putting… but he had Shisui now. That was no longer an option he could bear.

For him, it was Shisui or no one.

Itachi chuckled.

“Besides, Sasuke has already promised something very helpful.”

Shisui sat up too, leaning forward to look at Itachi’s face.

“Really?”

Itachi met his gaze.

“Apparently he intends to ‘ _make enough children for both of us_ ’ for my sake… so that I can just do what I want without worrying about producing an heir.”

Shisui blinked, then hunched over as laughter and spittle burst out from his mouth and he had to force the sound of it down behind both hands to not announce his amusement to the street outside. Itachi chuckled too, recalling the ridiculous promise with great affection for the sweet, silly little brother and his heart of gold.

Pulling his hand through his hair, Shisui smiled unabashedly and the laughter that had quieted down colored his voice as he spoke.

“That adorable little brat. I hope for his sake that he will at least wait a few more years before fulfilling _that_ goal. But who knows – the way things seem to be going for him…”

Itachi furrowed his brow and closed his eyes. 

“Please, do not remind me.” 

Shisui nudged him with his elbow.

“Oh, come on. Don’t act like you weren’t the one telling him how to handle himself in matters of the heart years ago.”

Itachi gave him an exhausted stare.

“What you referred to involves more than his heart.”

“True.” Shisui admitted. “But he did have Kakashi-san as his mentor, so little Sasuke is probably very well read on the matter. I’m sure we do not need to worry in the slightest about how he handles a certain someone between the sheets either.”

Itachi sighed, then fell back onto Shisui’s pillow.

Shisui patted his arm and offered words of equal parts affection and affirmation, “sorry. I know that’s not what you’re concerned about.” He paused, then laid down on his side next to Itachi. Trailing fingertips over his collarbone, he gazed down Itachi’s body fondly. “I think I’ll speak with him this time.”

Turning his head, Itachi’s nose nearly touched Shisui’s forehead.

“No. I will have plenty of opportunity to explain things to him.”

“Itachi, I was just as involved in stopping the coup as you were. I understand why it will be difficult to let him have his pick of partner – it could cause a whole new wave of complications in our clan’s politics if he doesn’t go along with an arranged marriage. You and I have been in that exact situation for years, and the only reason he hasn’t already gotten in this mess is his age.”

Shisui was firm. Determined.

Itachi’s heart clenched, and he pressed the tip of his nose against his hairline.

“You are a good man, Shisui.”

He went silent, hesitating. Itachi let him process the sentiment, expecting a less than positive reaction. Even while true, Shisui had always hated claims of goodness attributed to him.

As expected, Shisui sounded less than pleased.

“And you know I don’t agree with that. But… at least I can do my best to be a good brother-in-law, don’t you think?”

A smile spread across Itachi’s face, and he felt his heart flutter happily at the image his words painted in his mind: Shisui as a husband, a brother, and one day maybe even an uncle. He dared not hope for it, but part of him wanted to see him as a father, too.

Shisui had always cherished family.

The sweet man of his stirred next to him, leaving his spot pressed to his side to hover over him. His eyes were dark and almost closed as his face approached. Soft, tender lips brushed against his own and left them slightly wet when he pulled back enough to have his eyes catch Itachi’s.

A hand followed the length of Itachi’s body, down his side over his ribs, waist and hip.

Sweet and sultry, his gaze grew hazy with something both tender and greedy.

“A worried expression doesn't suit you.” Shisui whispered, his hand finding Itachi’s knee. He wrapped the leg around his backside, moving closer to let their cocks find each other again. “You’re cuter when you’re happy.”

He kissed him again, gripping the back of Itachi’s head. In turn, Itachi’s hands ran up his arms and found his shoulders. In one swift move he switched their places and pinned his sweet Shisui against the bed.

Slipping a leg between Shisui’s, he pressed against his taint and forced him to lift his hips for him.

“My turn.” He murmured; leaning in to claim this kind, considerate, and loyal man with everything his body had to offer.

It was night by now, but the window remained open. If a few people walked past and heard that ‘Shisui of the Body Flicker’ had company… then so be it.

Itachi was almost done hiding from this clan.


	2. Ending Secrecy

Apparently, Sasuke had someone over. There was an unfamiliar pair of men’s sandals in the hallway, and an unmistakable presence radiated from the kitchen where he could hear the boys talk.

Itachi smiled as he stepped out of his own shoes. It was good to know that Sasuke had a friend he could bring into their home.

“Good morning.” Sasuke greeted him casually, sat at the table with Naruto Uzumaki and eyeing his clothes noticeably. Perhaps it had been slightly too bold to not even try to make it seem like he had not been out all night… but done is done and Sasuke was the one person who already knew the truth of his relationship with Shisui.

Despite Itachi’s long hesitation to tell even him, his younger brother had immediately accepted it and even offered his support in pursuing marriage with the man Itachi had kept a secret for all this time. The love he felt for his sibling was so strong it stung; joy and pride and affection piercing him and clutching his heart with an iron grip. As strong as chains of refined steel, and as gentle as Sasuke’s tiny hands had been when he first held him in the maternity ward of Konoha General Hospital.

All the more fitting that he should be the first to put the first pieces of the puzzle Itachi was laying out for his family together and realize that he had spent the night in a bed that was not his own.

So, when Sasuke asked if it had been a long night… Itachi confirmed it.

However, after breaking several rules of secrecy in one night, Itachi had not been inclined to blow their secret all at once by staying for breakfast with Shisui’s mother. Leftovers stood on the stove and when he caught the scent of it his stomach reminded him that Mikoto’s cooking would be a welcome source of fuel after such an active night away from home.

Sitting down with a generous serving of rice and grilled fish, another part of his body made itself reminded… and it gave him its silent complaint regarding Shisui’s treatment of it in a far less pleasant way than a healthy appetite did. No matter. Ignoring pain and tenderness was a skill he had mastered. A skill he was grateful for when he felt Sasuke’s gaze refusing to leave him.

“You really should work fewer hours.” His younger brother complained, no doubt picking up on the fact that he had slept very little. It was not the first time Itachi had been told to cut back, but reality remained the same.

“I am of no use to the village while sitting around.”

Itachi kept his eyes on the food, but he knew Sasuke would not be inclined to accept putting the good of the village over the wellbeing of his brother. He never had been.

“You’ll be useful for far longer if you stop neglecting your health.”

In fairness, he was not wrong. Still, Itachi disagreed with the meaning under the words he had chosen, so he denied it. Skeptical and demanding, Sasuke shot back: “You don’t sleep enough. Including this one – how many nights have you been working this month?”

The accusation amused him. Sasuke was being slower than expected on picking up the clues he had set up for him. Honest and more forward than he had anticipated needing to be, Itachi answered calmly.

“I was not working last night.”

Sasuke clearly did not believe him.

“What were you doing until just now then? Where have you been?”

Forcing back the laugh that tickled the back of his throat, he had to take a short pause to remain calm. Sparing Sasuke’s blond friend a quick glance to determine if including him in the steady spilling of his personal affairs would pose a problem, he steeled himself and decided to take the plunge.

“Don’t ask questions you don’t want the answer to, little brother.”

The way Sasuke’s face scrunched up into an adorable, indignant little frown brought him even closer to laughter. Frankly, he had no right to be offended by the notion of adult pursuits. After all, Sasuke himself was on the cusp of turning twenty and was growing less innocent by the day.

Unfortunately, Itachi knew this was an undeniable fact… and even more regrettably he had been forced to witness it happening firsthand. For all the use he got out of the photographic memory granted to him by the Sharingan he dearly wished he could wipe his mind of one particular image of Sasuke losing some of his innocence on the very much public space above the Academy.

Cute as he was, Sasuke was really pushing his luck with his next, mildly outraged question.

“At Shisui’s place then? That’s… Doesn’t he live with his mother?”

It became impossible not to let the laughter turn his lips into a smile and escape through a sharp exhale.

This was just too much.

There was no way he could let his baby brother get away with his foolishness any longer.

So he firmly shot back: “it’s better than the roof of the Academy.”.

Hilariously, Sasuke seemed to be genuinely shocked about the revelation that his public indecency had not gone unnoticed. Stunned and staring at him with something akin to horror, Sasuke processed the information slowly until his blond friend let out an explosion of laughter.

The almost-grown boys fought with vigor; Sasuke to defend his lost dignity, and Naruto to defend himself from the barrage of tableware flung at his person. Itachi kept eating, not feeling inclined to interrupt his brother in such a well-deserved spar, until Mikoto approached the ruckus and put an end to it with swift words and a body language that had Sasuke sweating bullets.

When the boys had escaped the house, Mikoto turned her attention to the son that remained at her table. Crossing her arms, she leaned against the counter. She seemed curious but not unhappy with him.

“Itachi… It’s nice to see you. Did you have a good night out?”

He swallowed the last grains of rice in his bowl and put his chopsticks down.

“I did, it was nice to get some time away from work.”

Mikoto hummed lightly and came closer to grab his bowls.

“Did you spend your time with anyone in particular?”

Observing her carefully, he was grateful that she was more perceptive than his brother.

“Yes. We have been seeing each other for a while.”

His mother nodded and served him another portion, then set to cutting up some fruit for him.

“I am glad that you felt comfortable enough to tell me.” When she placed the plate of fruit in front of him, she patted his shoulder and sat down next to him. While he ate what she offered, his mother began smiling at him. “Are you happy with this person?”

The answer was easy, and the smile that returned hers was genuine.

“Very. I intend to introduce you and Father soon enough.”

There was a pause.

Then Mikoto’s hand found his on the table.

Squeezing his fingers, she was catching him off-guard. She was rarely physically affectionate towards anyone but Sasuke, so even if she was his mother too, Itachi was not used to her touch.

Meeting her eyes, he realized that his surprise must have shown on his face, and the pressure on his hand increased as they looked at each other.

“I am very happy to hear this, Itachi. You do so much for the village… for our clan… it is about time you found some happiness for yourself in this life.”

The more she said, the more pain showed in her sharp, black eyes. And the more he heard, the sharper the concern in his own grew.

“Mother, you might not approve of my choice.”

Her face softened. She stroked the back of his hand with her fingertips, unknowingly soothing what he felt at the thought of revealing the inevitable cause for great disappointment he was carrying around.

“Oh… I’m sure you will find a way to convince us to give you our blessings.”

He could not help but to smile. Confidence took the place where concern had thrived in him – after all, he had accomplished far more difficult tasks before.

If he and Shisui could stop their clan’s coup d’etat, surely they would manage getting the Uchiha to accept a future with two patriarchs instead of one.

Now more than ever, Itachi could see his fantasy becoming reality.


End file.
